Trapped in Chocolate 陷入困境
Dexu Xia
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him. Hebrews 6:10
Two workers at a Mars candy factory in Pennsylvania fell into a large vat of chocolate. This might sound like the beginning of a joke—and perhaps a lovely predicament to chocolate lovers! But the men—though unhurt—were waist-deep in the confection and couldn’t get out on their own. Firefighters ultimately had to cut a hole in the side of the vat to deliver them to safety.
When the prophet Jeremiah found himself at the bottom of a mud-filled cistern, the story was anything but sweet. As a messenger to God’s people in Jerusalem, he’d proclaimed the urgency for them to leave the city because it would soon “be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon” (Jeremiah 38:3). Some of King Zedekiah’s officials demanded Jeremiah be “put to death” because they claimed his words were “discouraging the soldiers” (v. 4). The king consented and they “lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern” where he “sank down into the mud” (v. 6).
When another of the king’s officials—a foreigner, no less—advocated for Jeremiah’s well-being, saying the others had “acted wickedly,” Zedekiah realized he’d made a mistake and ordered Ebed-Melek to lift Jeremiah “out of the cistern” (vv. 9-10).
Even when we’re doing the right thing—as Jeremiah was—we might sometimes feel like we’re stuck in the mud. Let’s ask God to lift our spirits as we wait for His help in the troubles we face.
By: Kirsten Holmberg
When have you been wronged for doing what’s right? How has God sustained you?
Father God, please sustain me as I seek to obey You
上帝并非不公义，竟忘记你们所做的工和你们为祂名所显的爱心。—希伯来书6章10节
在美国宾州的一家巧克力糖果工厂，有两名员工掉进巨大的巧克力浆桶中。这听起来像是某个笑话的开头，或许对巧克力爱好者来说，这更像是个甜蜜的困境。虽然两名员工没有受伤，但因腰部以下都陷在巧克力糖浆里，还是无法自行脱困。最终消防员必须在大桶的侧面钻一个洞，才能将他们解救出来。
当先知耶利米陷在满是淤泥的井里时，绝对不是一个甜蜜的困境。身为上帝的先知，他传信息给耶路撒冷城内上帝的百姓，呼吁他们赶紧离开这座城，因“这城必要交在巴比伦王军队的手中”（耶利米书38章3节）。西底家王的一些大臣却要求“治死”耶利米，认为他所传的信息使军民士气低落（4节）。国王允准之后，这些人就用绳子把耶利米缒到井里，他“就陷在淤泥中”（6节）。
国王的另一位臣子以伯米勒是个外邦人，竟然为耶利米求情，说这些人恶待耶利米，西底家才明白自己的过失，并吩咐以伯米勒将耶利米从井里救出来（9-10节）。
即使我们像耶利米一样做正确的事，有时也会觉得自己仿佛深陷淤泥中。当我们陷入困境，等候上帝的帮助时，让我们祈求上帝帮助我们不灰心丧志。作者： 洪可婷
你何时曾因做了正确的事反倒受了委屈？在那个时候，上帝如何扶持你？
天父上帝，当我竭力地顺服祢，求祢扶持我。